Mercury motor-meter.



A. L. EMENS.

MERCURY MOTOR METER. L

APPLICATION FILED MAY 3. 1915. i 1,226,956. Pfl/muted May 22,1917.

7 l. I I I UNTTED sTaTEs PATENT oEEroE.

ALBERT L. EMENS, 0F SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO SANGAMO ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

MERCURY MOTOR-METER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 22, 1917.

Application med nay 3, 1915. serial No. 25,517.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, ALBERT L. EMENs, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Springfield, in the county of Sangamon, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mercury Motor- Meters, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to electricity meters in which the motive power is provided byv a metal disk or armature immersed in a bath of mercury contained in a suitable chamber, as shown, for example, in Letters Patent to Lanphier and White, No. 911,020, dated J anuary 26, 1909. The rotation of the armature, which is effected by the flow of current, is communicated to a suitable indicating device by a shaft rising from the armature and suitably connected with the indicating mechanism by a train of gears. Inasmuch as this shaft must pass out of the mercury chamber, considerablev difficulty has been experienced in providing against the spilling of`mercury fromthe mercury chamber through the shaft openingl around the shaft when the meter is tilted or overturned. Obviously, it is necessary that the rotation of the armature shaft shall be entirely free and unimpeded, otherwise the accuracy of the meter would be a'ected. Consequently, the opening through which the shaft passes from the mercury chamber must be made large enough so that there is no friction upon the armature shaft. The difficulty heretofore has been that in making such opening large enough to properly accommodate the shaft without-friction it has been practically impossible to prevent the mercury from spilling out if the meter should be tilted sufficiently. The object of` my invention is to overcome this difficulty andv to provide a construction by which complete protection is secured against the loss of mercury through the armature shaft opening or passage. I accomplish this object as illustrated in the drawings and as hereinafter described. What I regard as new is set forth in the claims.l

In the accompanying drawings,-

Figure 1 is a partial vertical section of an electricity meter embodying my improvements;

Fig..2 is a horizontal section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view for showing the condition of the mercury when the meter is tipped over.

Referring to the drawings,- n y 4 indicates a cylindrical member or shell, which is made of suitable insulating material and is recessed at its under surface to form the armature chamber 5. 6 indicates a plate or disk which ts upon the lower end of the shell 4, forming the bottom of the armature chamber. Said plate' is provided with a central block 7 recessed to form a bearing for the lower end of the armature shaft 8. 9 indicates'the armature, which is mounted upon the lower end portion of the shaft 8 and is immersed in the mercury in the ar.- mature chamber 5 as shown in Fig. 1. 10 indicates a float mounted on the shaft S im- `Inediatelyabove the armature 9, and submerged inthe mercury in the usual way, As shown in Fig. 1, the shell 4 is provided with a. hopper-like chamber 11 above the armature chamber 5 and communicating with such armature chamber through a passage 12 which is of somewhat greater diameter than the float 10. The armature chamber 5 and the chamber 11 together constitute a mercury chamber in which the mercury normally standsat about the level of the upper end of the passage 12, as illustrated.

13-14 indicate the upper and lower members of an arch-frame, the lower member 14 carrying a disk-like plate 15, preferably formed integral therewith, which fits upon the upper end of the shell 4 and is secured tightly thereupon to prevent leakage of mercury between the plate 15 and the upper margin of the shell 4. The plate 15 is bored centrally for the passage of the armature shaft 8. The arch-member 13 is provided with an adjustable bearing 16 for the upper end of the armature shaft 8, and said shaft carries a damping disk 17 and worm 18,r as

usual. All the above parts are old and need not be more particularly described.

19 indicates a nipple which is screwed into the central opening of the plate 15, extending downward therefrom around the armature shaft 8. The diameter of the passage through the nipple 19 is somewhat greater than that of the shaft 8, but at its lower end said nipple is contracted to form a sort of nozzle which is only slightly greater in diameter than the shaft, as shown at 20 in Figs. 1 and 3. 21 indicates a protecting device in the form of a second nipple or sleeve, similar to the nipple 19 but of somewhat greater diameter, which is screwed upon a threaded boss 22 provided near the upper end of the nipple 19. Thus both nipples are connected with the cover-plate 15, the inner one directly and the outer' one indirectly through the inner nipple. The nipple 21 is separated from and extends down and beyond the lower end of the nip-ple 19 so as to lie between it and the lower portion of the mercury chamber. The nipple 21 also contracted at its lower end toform a nozzle 23 similar to the nozzle 20 but embracing the shaft 8 at a point farther down. The opening of the nozzle 23 is best made somewhat larger than that of the nozzle 20. By this construction a chamber 24 is provided between the two nipples 19-21 in which any mercury passing into the nipple 21 is caught and retained while the meter remains tipped.

By the construction described it will be noted that whenv the meter is upright the armature shaft 8 may rotate freely, and as it is entirely clear of the nozzles of the two j nipples 1921 there is no friction whatever between said nozzles and the shaft. If the meter be tipped over as shown in Fig. 3, the nipple 21 serves as a shield to prevent any considerable part of the mercury from flowing out around the armature shaft, so that only such mercury may escape from the chamber 11 as may flow along the shaft through the nozzle 23. This mercury, however, is caught in the chamber 24: and does not pass beyond the nozzle 20. The outer nipple 21 serves as a shield to protect the inner nipple 19 from direct impact of the body Vof mercury in the mercury chamber' Y when the meter is tipped, and thereby prevents the mercury from 'passing out through the nozzle 2O of the inner nipple. It will be apparent that when the meter is tipped so as to cause the mercury in the mercury chamber to splash or to be thrown more or less violently toward the upperv portion of the mercury chamber, the mass of mercury will strike'the outer nipple and be broken into small particles or globules, some of which may pass into the space or chamber between the inner and outer nipples.k vAfter getting into this restricted space, the globules of mercury have so little mass that violent rocking of the meter, even when in an inverted position, would not suffice to throw the mercury through the nozzle of the inner nipple, and consequently none of it would escape. Even if the meter should be tilted to the position shown in Fig. 3, so that the level of the mercury in the mercury chamber should be above the level of the nozzle 20 of the inner nipple, the mercury would still be unable to escape since the nozzle of the outer nipple would be above the level of the mercury, thereby preventing it from flowing into the chamber 24. The quantity of mercury used in meters of this kind is never suffia cient to cause it to submerge the nozzle 28, and consequently the two nipples together afford complete protection against the escape of the mercury. It will thus be seen that the outer nipple not only prevents the escape of mercury through the nozzle of the inner nipple by splashing but also prevents it from flowing through the nozzle of the inner nipple. As soon as the meter is restored to its upright position, any mercury in the chamber 24 will flow back into the main chamber 11. I have found by practical use of this device that it makes possible the use of larger openings around the armature shaft than have heretofore been practicable without danger of mercury spilling out when the meter is tipped, and this is advantageous because with large openings there is less danger of the shaft rubbing against the edges of the openings, owing to slight error in alinement, and also less danofparticles of dirt or dross getting between the shaft and the edges of the openings so as to cause friction.

While I prefer to make the mercury chamber of the form shown in the drawings, it will be understood that my invention may be applied to mercury chambers of other forms and to mercury meters of other designs where similar conditions may obtain. My invention, therefore, is not restricted to the specific construction shown and described.

While my invention is especially valuable for meters, it may also be used to advantage in various other devices, and the claims hereinafter made are therefore to be construed accordingly.

That which claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is,

1. Ainercury motor meter, comprising a mercury chamber7 an armature, an armature shaft rising through the mercury chamber, a mercury chamber cover through which saidshaft passes, a nipple connected with the cover and extending down around said shaft, and means coperating with said nipple to form a chamber which extends below the lower end of said nipple, said shaft passing through the latter chamber.

CAE)

2. A mercury motor meter, comprising a mercury chamber, an armature, an armature shaft rising through the mercury chamber, a mercury chamber cover through which said shaft passes, a; nipple connected with the ture shaft rising through the mercury chamber, a cover for the upper portion of *the mercury chamber through which said shaft passes, and inner and outer nipples extending downwardly into the mercury chamber and forming between them a chamber suri rounding the armature shaft, the outer nipple extending below the inner one.

4. A mercury motor meter, comprising a mercury chamber, an armature, an armature shaft rising through the mercury chamber, a cover for the upper portion of the mercury chamber through which said shaft passes, and inner and outer nipples coperating to form a chamber through which said shaft passes, said nipples being connected with said cover and projecting downwardly into the mercury chamber, the outer nipple extending below the inner one and the lower end portions of said nipples being contracted.

5. A mercury motor meter, comprising a mercury chamber, an armature, an armature shaft rising through the mercury chamber, a cover for the upper portion of the mercury chamber through which said shaft passes, and a plurality of nipples through which said shaft passes, said nipples being connected with said cover and projecting downwardly to different levels in the mercury chamber, the lower end portions of said nipples being contracted.

6. A mercury motor meter, comprising a mercury chamber, an armature, an armature shaft rising through the mercury chamber, a cover for the upper portion of the mercury chamber through which said shaft passes, a nipple secured to said cover and extending downwardly around the armature shaft, and a second nipple overlying said first-mentioned nipple and extending down around the armature shaft to a point below the lower end of said first-mentioned nipple and cooperating therewith to form a chamber.

7. A mercury motor meter, comprising a mercury chamber, an armature, an armature shaft rising through the mercury chamber, a cover for the upper portion of the mercury chamber through which said shaft passes, a nipple secured to said cover and extending downwardly around the armature shaft, and a second nipple overlying said first-mentioned nipple and extendingdown around the armature shaft to a point below the lower end of said first-mentioned nipple,

said outer nipple being contracted at its lower end portion.

8. A mercury motor meter, comprising a 7. mercury chamber, an armature, an armature shaft rising through the mercury chamber, a cover for they upper portion of the mercury chamber through which said shaft passes, a nipple secured to said cover and extending downwardly around the armature shaft, said nipple being contracted at its lower end portion, and a second nipple overlying said irst-mentioned nipple and extending down around the armature shaft to a point below the lower end of said firstmentioned nipple, said outer nipple being contracted at its lower end portion.

9. A mercury motor meter, comprising a mercury chamber, an armature, an armature shaft rising through the mercury chamber, a cover for the upper portion of the mercury chamber through which said shaft passes, a nipple secured to said cover and extending downwardly around the armature shaft, and a second nipple screwed upon and overlying said first-mentioned nipple and extending down around the armature shaft to a point below the lower end of said firstmentioned nipple and cooperating therewith to form a chamber.

10. The combination of a mercury chamlber casing, a cover for the mercury chamber,

a shaft extending through said cover, a nipple projecting downwardly from the cover around said shaft, and means between said ,nipple and the lower portion of the mercury chamber for protecting said nipple from direct impact of the body of mercury therein when the casing is tipped.

11. The combination of a mercury chamber casing,`a cover for the mercury chamber, a shaft extending through said cover, a nipple projecting downwardly from the cover around said shaft, and a shield disposed between said nipple and the lower portion of the mercury chamber for protecting said nipple from direct impact of the body of mercury therein when the casing is tipped, said shield being separated from said nipple to form an intermediate chamber.

12. The combination of a mercury chamber casing. a cover for the mercury chamber, a shaft extending through said cover, a nipple projecting downwardly from the cover around said shaft, and a shield disposed between said nipple and the lower portion of the mercury chamber for protecting said nipple from direct impact of the body of mercury therein when the casing is tipped, said shield being in the form of a nipple having a contracted opening for the passage of the shaft.

13. The combination of a mercury chamber casing, a cover for the mercury chamber, 130

a shaft extending through said cover, a niphaving a contracted opening for the passage ple projecting downwardly from the cover of the shaft, and coperating With said nip- 10 around said shaft, and a shield disposed beple to form an intermediate chamber.

tween said nipple and the lower portion of the mercury chamber for protecting said ALBERT L. EMENS. nipple from direct impact of the body of Witnesses:

mercury therein When the casing is tipped, ROBERT C. LANPHIER,

said shield being in the form of a nipple lV. B. SOUTHWICK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing thc Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

